Saturday 31 July 2010

The Tax Credit helpline is a joke! But I'm not laughing.

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I have already renewed my Tax Credits for this year,in fact I did it a few moths ago. However I still needed to tell them what courses my daughter would be on in the sixth form when she continues her education in September. I realized that I had not got back to them with this info,so on Thursday I tried to call them up to complete the update.

I tried 9 times through out the day but was given a recorded message that they were very busy and to call back. On Friday I called 17 times at various times of the day and guess what? Yes, I got the same message again!.....17 times!.
Today I tried again.....34 times throughout the day.....34 frustrating times...and still got the same message!
As the Inland Revenue has no facility to put you on hold or to allow you to try a different number all you can do is keep on calling.I have a suspicion that even if I continue to call right up until 8pm (when they close!) i still won't get through to these people.
I have decided to document this ridiculous situation on my blog so that when they try to patronize me about my late call when I do eventually manage to get through, i will be able to refer them to this posting to prove that it was not a lack of effort on my part.....more of a lack of service on theirs!.

Update!

After surfing the internet I came upon this info on the money saving expert website:

"Just so you know I've managed to get through this morning i tried the main number at 8am on the dot and still nothing so searched for other numbers and found these. I used the 01384 845032 and got through 1st time!

other numbers also found:

028 9053 8192
01384 845032
01382 711032
01506 478032
01506 521032
0191 644 4032
0191 541 8032"

Good luck to you all hope you all get through!

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6 comments:

Steve @ 2008 Taxes said...

Too bad your experience with the help line wasn't better.

Andy Ward said...

Hi Steve. TBH the footnote on the blog seems to indicate that I did eventually get through to the helpline.In actual fact that was part of the info that i copied and pasted from the website with the alternative numbers.To date I still have not managed to get through to anyone, although i did manage to waste a few more quid being kept on hold for 25 mins yesterday.Not a good experience, and I would guess that many feel the same!.

Anonymous said...

You think that's bad?
I have been trying every afternoon after work, for a whole month.

I am on holiday this week, so thought to try early in the morning? Could not believe that I couldn't even get their usual blurb at the start.

This is a ridiculous situation! - I am trying to call because of an error made on my claim! you do what is asked and try to inform asap, but what good is that if they don't have enough staff to take the call, don't have a web site to do this on line, or do not have at least an email address to notify - then you can relax knowing you have done your bit!
The tax office is not even considerate that we do not have this time to waste and have either businesses to run or have low wages to to pay for calls that do not get through. This is DISGUSTING and downright unfair. A WHOLE MONTH!!!
They wont even put me in the queue like they used to, where I was happy to wait!, it would have cost less to do that than call every day 2-5 times a day for a month!!!
If the call centre is going to be busy or has been over run with calls for this long....surly it would be a good idea - or it would make simple sense to open other channels of communication???!!! Its hardly rocket science is it?

Anonymous said...

I to am having the same problem getting through to tax credits,i try at 8am,nothing!.i try throughout the day,nothing! i try in the evening,nothing! i could actually be employed as there answer machine voice now as i can recite the whole recording perfectly i have heard it so many times.i have been waiting for nearly 7 weeks to have my claim sorted and continually phone them but cant get through.everyone i have spoke to is having the same problems getting throug,why cant they just open more phone lines its a joke bearing in mind that every time i phone and get the grrrrrr answer message i am charged for the call,i dread to see my phone bill.not that they would compensate this of course,

Anonymous said...

I too cannot get through and have to notify them that my 16 year old is continuing in further education. But because I cannot get through and inform them of this they have reduced my money by 50% which is leaving me struggling. To add insult to injury I have an overpayment letter demanding nearly £3000 by 19th September. t
The letter was dated 10th August but I didn't receive it until 24th August and have been trying every option on the helpline. I even tried the telephone number given for when you want to repay the money (not that I can) but this goes to the same answer message. I hadn't realised that I would be charged for the call even if I do not get through and dread to think how much my bill will be. So frustrated by this I have even considered giving up work because I am definitely worse off with the combination of the two above situations. I could pull my hair out and have screamed on many occasions fed up with it all. I am seriously stressed out

treen67 said...

I know exactly how you all feel. I've been trying to get through by phone since the end of July, trying to inform the Tax credits that my 16 year old son had now got a place at college. I decided to inform them by letter but have heard nothing since.
I received £300 less than usual this month which has left me in a really bad financial situation.
I don't even know if they have received my letter as they don't even have the decency to send out any acknowledgement that they have received it.